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Book Review of Wine and Punishment (Literary Pub, Bk 1)

Wine and Punishment (Literary Pub, Bk 1)
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Wine and Punishment is the debut of the Literary Pub Mystery series set in the small town of Shady Creek, VT and featuring Sadie Coleman. Sadie has left her job and her gambling ex boyfriend behind in Boston and sunk her life savings into purchasing the old gristmill turned pub and creating the Inkwell, a book themed pub.

It's time for the annual Autumn Festival and Sadie is looking forward to having a booth on the Town Green which will feature samples of her delicious drinks named after famous books, authors and characters. The two employees that she inherited with the pub, Damien and Mel, are working on building a pumpkin catapult and helping to keep things running smoothly. Sadie is also thankful for her Aunt Gilda and her new friend Shontelle who are both helping her to settle into the community.

Things are looking up until her ex boyfriend, Eric appears in the bar and not looking for a public confrontation, Sadie and Shontelle sneak out the back door. On the way back from Aunt Gilda's birthday party Sadie comes across the local antique store which is fully engulfed in flames, the next day rumors swirl that the fire was arson.

The only person that is not very welcoming is brewery owner, Grayson Blake. While all of the other women in town think he's dreamy, Sadie can't understand what they all see in the grumpy man. After finding her tires slashed Sadie confronts Grayson in his driveway and they are both sidetracked from the argument when Grayson's dog discovers a dead body on the bank of the creek. Shockingly, the body turns out to be none other than Eric and it's no surprise when Sadie becomes the primary suspect in his murder.

Determined to clear her name, Sadie sets out to investigate and ultimately finds herself the killers target. A series of cruel pranks and another bout of arson threaten to drive Sadie and her fluffy cat Wimsey away, but an unlikely ally comes to her aid and together they uncover a murderer.

A terrific debut with a fast paced plot. The author creates a cozy town setting and a wonderful cast of main characters. So many possibilities lie ahead for the series, the creation of the different book clubs, a possible friendship between Sadie and Grayson, etc. I will definitely be on the lookout for the second in the series.